Mike Greenlar/The Post-StandardWith his song "Mixtape Champs," Syracuse native Joe Driscoll recalls the beauty of giving the ones you love a gift of carefully recorded favorite songs.Gloria Wright/The Post-StandardJoe Magnarelli, hot trumpet man in New York City, plays a hometown gig last summer in Clinton Square.

The folks who put together the schedule for the Central New York Jazz Orchestra liked the concept so much they did it twice this season: The CNYJO closes its 14th season of programming with Legends of Upstate New York II.

The featured guest artists will be Syracuse native trumpet star Joe Magnarelli and Rochester pianist and educator Bill Dobbins.

The show goes on at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Carrier Theater in Mulroy Civic Center, 441 Montgomery St., Syracuse. Tickets are $19.50 to $27.50. Call 435-2121.

Magnarelli and Dobbins will bring original pieces to share with the resident CNYJO.

They’ll do separate segments, and then an everybody-play finale.

For an added treat, Magnarelli and Dobbins will preside over an educational clinic at 3 p.m. Saturday in the same theater. And that has free admission.

Provided photoFront man Karl Buechner works the crowd with Earth Crisis, the world-famous straightedge hardcore band from Syracuse.

“Brazil. Chile. Argentina,” Buechner says. “The strongest straightedge scene in the world is in South America.”

Syracuse native Buechner and his bandmates — Scott Crouse, Dennis Merrick and the Edwards brothers, Erick and Ian — should know. They’ve toured the world, pushing their aggressive rock music and straightedge attitudes: Shun drugs and alcohol, eat a vegan diet, and treat the planet and mankind with respect.

Earth Crisis plays a hometown show Saturday night at The Westcott Theater. (See related Best Bet at www.syracuse.com/music/.

Ask Buechner to identify the hottest spots in America, and he takes more time.

“I really have to think that one through,” he says. “I’d say the major cities.”

Parlato, who attended the famous Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, has been lauded as “a singer with a deep, almost magical connection to the music” by star Herbie Hancock.

Parlato, who moved to New York City after graduating from UCLA and then the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, was featured in the Documentary Channel’s four-part series, “Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense.”

The show starts at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Palace Theatre, 2384 James St., Syracuse. Tickets are $20. Call 443-4834.

NEW NAME, SAME FINE ACOUSTIC MUSIC
Sherrie Hart reports that organizers have changed the name of a familiar acoustic music series.

The First Friday Music Series henceforth will be known as The Onativia Music Series.

In its third season, Hart says, “we have had requests by audience members to do more.”

“Additionally, we are also getting requests from musicians for performance dates that we cannot accommodate with the limited number of ‘first Fridays.’”

The next show is a “fourth Friday.” That makes it at 7 p.m. Friday, with John Cadley and The Lost Boys playing at Onativia Methodist Church, 6257 Dodge Road, LaFayette.

Also on the schedule are In Harmony on May 7, Dusty Pas’cal on June 4 and Atlantic Flyway on June 18.

There’s no admission fee, but donations are accepted, and that’s how the musicians get paid.

BENNY MARDONES SINGS CLASSIC ROCK IN ROME
We’re not at the brink of summer in Central New York if Syracuse’s adopted favorite rock singer isn’t welcoming in the warm months with a show.

Benny Mardones brings his Syracuse band The Hurricanes for a show at 8 p.m. Friday at Capitol Theatre, 220 W. Dominick St., Rome.

The show is a benefit for the Rome Thunderbolts collegiate-aged baseball team.

Tickets to see the man who lifted “Into the Night” into the Billboard Top 40 twice are $25, $30 and $45. They’re available at Sound Garden in Armory Square, or go to www.ticketderby.com.

NEXT WEEK’S PLANNER: Tantric at The Westcott Theater
Lead singer Hugo Ferreira and his bandmates in hard rock band Tantric visit Syracuse for a show at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Westcott Theater, 524 Westcott St., Syracuse. They’ll bring the rockers from their latest CD, “Mind Control,” as well as No. 1 hits “Breakdown,” “Astounded” and “The Chain.” Syracuse rock bands Augustine, Born Again Rebels and Crows Cage open. Tickets are $12, available at Sound Garden in Armory Square and at www.thewestcotttheater.com.

MUSIC NOTES ON VIDEO: Joe Driscoll
Syracuse native Joe Driscoll has made the very most out of the months he’s spent here in his hometown. The singer, songwriter, guitarist and looper had a friend fly in from London to shoot a Syracuse half of an upcoming DVD. Later, they’ll shoot on the other side of the pond, too. Driscoll talks about that project and more in this week’s installment of “Music Notes” on video. Also, Driscoll plays the acoustic world premiere of his new song “Mixtape Champs.” Both will get you in the right mood for a show at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Auburn Public Theater, which features Driscoll with Dusty Pas’cal, Mikey Powell and Loren Barrigar. Tickets are $9.95, and will be available at the door.